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Why? From what I read: Easier hygiene. Circumcision makes it simpler to wash the penis. However, boys with uncircumcised penises can be taught to wash regularl

Why? From what I read: Easier hygiene. Circumcision makes it simpler to wash the penis. However, boys with uncircumcised penises can be taught to wash regularly beneath the foreskin. Decreased risk of urinary tract infections. The risk of urinary tract infections in males is low, but these infections are more common in uncircumcised males. Severe infections early in life can lead to kidney problems later. Decreased risk of sexually transmitted infections. Circumcised men might have a lower risk of certain sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Still, safe sexual practices remain essential. Prevention of penile problems. Occasionally, the foreskin on an uncircumcised penis can be difficult or impossible to retract (phimosis). This can lead to inflammation of the foreskin or head of the penis. Decreased risk of penile cancer. Although cancer of the penis is rare, it's less common in circumcised men. In addition, cervical cancer is less common in the female sexual partners of circumcised men.

ghettoimp 8y ago
That's roughly what I was told when we made the decision to circumcise our son. Having read more, later in life, about the history and origins of the practice, it's a decision I really regret.
ceejayoz 8y ago
There's a lot of conflicting/unclear research and it's my understanding that there's not much solid evidence in either direction on most of this stuff. Small studies, questionable causation, etc. That said, the hygiene argument is insane to me. Anyone who can be taught to wipe their ass can be taught to clean their penis.
- rootusrootus 8y ago
  Especially since pre-puberty, boys should be taught not to try and retract their foreskin for cleaning. It's not necessary, and forcing it might very well cause damage. From the perspective of a five year old, cleaning a circumcised penis and an uncircumcised penis is exactly the same.
tryptophan 8y ago
>Easier hygiene. We could also cut out all our teeth, so we don't ever get cavities! The problem with the rest of everything you mentioned is that the effect sizes for those things are tiny. Your chance of getting penis cancer when circumcised is 1 in 10,000,000, and if you don't its 1 in 10,005,223. This sort of tiny effect can just come from confounding variables, like "people who circumcise tend to be Jewish and American so they eat better food and get cancer less in general."
bjourne 8y ago
Maybe you should cite your sources because that is a lot of bullshit. "Among the few alleged benefits of circumcision that are of actual relevance to children, the most prominent is the claim that it protects against urinary tract infections in the first year of life. The degree of relative risk reduction for circumcised boys is most often reported as 10-fold (over a small absolute incidence), based on retrospective data.[22] However, a large prospective cohort study – a more reliable research design – reported a relative risk reduction in hospitalization for UTI of 3.7-fold.[23] Furthermore, in this study, when all outpatient UTIs were considered, the relative risk reduction dropped to 1.73-fold.[23] To put UTIs into perspective, a study from Sweden, where boys are not circumcised, found that, over the first six years of life, the absolute risk of UTIs in boys was low, at 1.8% versus 6.6% in girls, and that UTI infection in boys was rare after the first year of life (0.1-0.2%).[24] Another investigator found a UTI rate of 0.08% in males >1 year old.[25] When UTIs do occur, they respond rapidly to antibiotic therapy.[26-28] UTIs in the first months of life are less likely to involve the kidneys,[29] and UTIs rarely, if ever, result in hypertension or end-stage kidney disease.[30-37]" https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/for-professionals/alleged-medical-benefits/urinary-tract-infections/ https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/for-professional...
sergiotapia 8y ago
>Easier hygiene. Circumcision makes it simpler to wash the penis. Totally false. You can teach your kids to peel and wash properly it's not hard at all. It's like washing behind your ears. Don't fall for this and mutilate your children for no reason.
stefan_ 8y ago
There's a ton of stuff we could do to to babies that has a lot better of a record on preventative effects.

ghettoimp 8y ago

That's roughly what I was told when we made the decision to circumcise our son. Having read more, later in life, about the history and origins of the practice, it's a decision I really regret.

ceejayoz 8y ago

There's a lot of conflicting/unclear research and it's my understanding that there's not much solid evidence in either direction on most of this stuff. Small studies, questionable causation, etc. That said, the hygiene argument is insane to me. Anyone who can be taught to wipe their ass can be taught to clean their penis.

rootusrootus 8y ago
Especially since pre-puberty, boys should be taught not to try and retract their foreskin for cleaning. It's not necessary, and forcing it might very well cause damage. From the perspective of a five year old, cleaning a circumcised penis and an uncircumcised penis is exactly the same.

tryptophan 8y ago

>Easier hygiene. We could also cut out all our teeth, so we don't ever get cavities! The problem with the rest of everything you mentioned is that the effect sizes for those things are tiny. Your chance of getting penis cancer when circumcised is 1 in 10,000,000, and if you don't its 1 in 10,005,223. This sort of tiny effect can just come from confounding variables, like "people who circumcise tend to be Jewish and American so they eat better food and get cancer less in general."

bjourne 8y ago

Maybe you should cite your sources because that is a lot of bullshit. "Among the few alleged benefits of circumcision that are of actual relevance to children, the most prominent is the claim that it protects against urinary tract infections in the first year of life. The degree of relative risk reduction for circumcised boys is most often reported as 10-fold (over a small absolute incidence), based on retrospective data.[22] However, a large prospective cohort study – a more reliable research design – reported a relative risk reduction in hospitalization for UTI of 3.7-fold.[23] Furthermore, in this study, when all outpatient UTIs were considered, the relative risk reduction dropped to 1.73-fold.[23] To put UTIs into perspective, a study from Sweden, where boys are not circumcised, found that, over the first six years of life, the absolute risk of UTIs in boys was low, at 1.8% versus 6.6% in girls, and that UTI infection in boys was rare after the first year of life (0.1-0.2%).[24] Another investigator found a UTI rate of 0.08% in males >1 year old.[25] When UTIs do occur, they respond rapidly to antibiotic therapy.[26-28] UTIs in the first months of life are less likely to involve the kidneys,[29] and UTIs rarely, if ever, result in hypertension or end-stage kidney disease.[30-37]" https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/for-professionals/alleged-medical-benefits/urinary-tract-infections/ https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/for-professional...

sergiotapia 8y ago

>Easier hygiene. Circumcision makes it simpler to wash the penis. Totally false. You can teach your kids to peel and wash properly it's not hard at all. It's like washing behind your ears. Don't fall for this and mutilate your children for no reason.

stefan_ 8y ago

There's a ton of stuff we could do to to babies that has a lot better of a record on preventative effects.